I need an external sound card for a mac mini. does anyone know which ones are compatible?
Mac mini, Mac OS X (10.7.4)
Do you mean a device that connects through USB (or possibly FireWire)? Is the purpose to improve the sound output or the sound input (over what the Mac mini already has built in)? What do you need it to do, specificallly?
I am using it as an output device. so I can connect to a mixer board through a USB Port so I can use the ear piece jack to pluck in head phones to Que and preview music. There are several external jacks ranging from $5.00 -$2,000.00. Have you used any?
My experience is with consumer-level devices, not "pro" gear. If I'm understanding correctly, you want to use the built-in sound output jack on the Mac mini with headphones, to monitor ("preview music"), while you use USB to output sound to a "mixer board."
I used a USB device a while back called PowerWave (from Griffin Tech). I could output sound to it, and it acted as an amp to power standard "living room" (not self-powered) speakers. It also had a mini-stereo jack on it, like the one on Mac mini, which could be used with headphones at the same time (I put a self-powered subwoofer on that output). And it also had sound input. It was very cool.
I also used a FireWire device called FireWave (also from Griffin Tech). But that was more of a way to add 5.1 surround sound output to a Mac.
There is a current USB device from Griffin Tech called iMic.
http://store.griffintechnology.com/desktop/imic (says "out of stock")
It's sort of a cheaper version of that old PowerWave, with a more limited set of features (no amp). It does provide audio output (and input) from a USB port, and it's relatively inexpensive. But, I'm not sure if you can send sound output to TWO devices at the same time, using standard system settings (if that's important for what you're doing).
I also found out about this recently
http://cycling74.com/products/soundflower/
which might be useful for what you are doing...
Thanks for your input, but this is still not the answer. A sound card is an external device that boost the quality of the sound that you are outputting(i think it boost) but more importantly it allows you to go to the head set and listen to the second channel to que or preview music. It is not like the devise that you are using...dave
The Mac mini's built-in audio output (the headphone jack) is capable of digital line out, if you use with a Toslink adapter. Something like
http://www.amazon.com/Recoton-Fiber-Optic-Toslink-Adapter/dp/B0002MQGRM
That's the best "quality boost" you can get, as long as device receiving the output has Toslink fiber optic input.
Use the USB-based output for the headphones.
Compatible external sound card needed for mac mini...
